Have you ever seen the movie, 'Paths of Glory'?  Kirk Douglas is a French officer during World War I.  He is a commander in the trenches, who is able to keep the troops together despite all they face, and perform his job with aplomb.  It's not that I see myself as resembling this character in wartime, it's that I know that I have certain tactical skills—a goal is defined, the program developed, and the solution implemented.

System Design

I base design on the end product...that is, people who are not programmers by trade don't know what comprises a program, therefore the various pieces, the nuts and bolts, don't need to become the central theme in the initial phases of design.  If a customer knows what they want, it is best to take that and map the path to success.

Programming

In the old days, spaghetti code was a derisive term for programming skills.  The idea was that it was bad programming to jump from one section of code to the next, particularly using the "go to" statement.  Whatever sense that makes in the perfect world, it makes more sense to understand what needs to happen, when it needs to happen, and to be able to make it happen.  Besides, se lo piace, lo faccio io.

Installation and Support
Ever been left in the lurch?  If not, would you like to know what it feels like?  As with most things in life, aspects of system design are sometimes not recognized as necessary until after the fact, and more importantly, stuff changes along the way.  Continual communication and support through the initial use of the program is what determines the ultimate success over time.